Lock for sliding doors and windows

ABSTRACT

A lock for sliding doors and windows which is positionable over the top rail of the door or window and includes first and second adjustable bolt members. Without requiring any connection to the rail of the door or window or the door or window frame, the first bolt member holds the door or window down against the lower channel of the frame and the second bolt member holds the door or window against the side of the upper channel of the frame, locking the door or window in any desired position.

United States Patent Petroff Dec. 30, 1975 LOCK FOR SLIDING DOORS AND WINDOWS [75] Inventor: Guy Petroff, Fullerton, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Philip M. Hinderstein, Orange,

Calif.

[22] Filed: Sept. 26, 1974 [2l] Appl. No.: 509,546

[52] US. Cl 292/291; 292/258 [5l] Int. Cl. E05C 19/18 [58] Field of Search 292/291, 258, 288, DIG. 46

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 352,719 11/1886 Strong 292/258 508,005 ll/l893 Feeney 292/258 X 3,367,700 2/l968 Carnicero 292/288 Primary Examiner Richard E. Moore Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Philip M. Hinderstein [57] ABSTRACT A lock for sliding doors and windows which is positionable over the top rail of the door or window and includes first and second adjustable bolt members. Without requiring any connection to the rail of the door or window or the door or window frame, the first bolt member holds the door or window down against the lower channel of the frame and the second bolt member holds the door or window against the side of the upper channel of the frame, locking the door or window in any desired position.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 3,929,362

LOCK FOR SLIDING DOORS AND WINDOWS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention.

The present invention relates to a lock for sliding doors and windows and, more particularly, to a removable mechanism for locking a sliding door or window in any desired position.

2. Description of the Prior Art.

Many homes and other buildings are provided with sliding doors and/or windows of the type which are slidably mounted in upper and lower U-shaped channels which are part of the door or window frame. Unfortunately, because of the ease with which these types of doors and windows may be removed from such frames, many homes provided with these types of doors and windows are often burglarized.

To prevent the unauthorized opening of such doors and windows, numerous types of locking elements have been devised. However, all suffer from at least one and usually more of several disadvantages. For example, most conventional locks must be physically attached to the door or window or door or window frame, such attachment often requiring the drilling of holes or the insertion of screws or bolts. As a result, the door or window or frame is permanently defaced preventing subsequent removal of the lock. Furthermore, while such a lock may be installed by a reasonably handy male, it is difficult, if not impossible, for it to be installed by many men and most women.

Regardless of the manner in which the lock mechanism is installed, most mechanisms permit the locking of a door or window in a limited number of positions. Thus, many of these mechanisms are wedged between the door or window frame and the slidable door or window so that the door or window cannot be slid open. However, such mechanisms often permit the window or door to be raised and there are occasions when it is desirable to lock the door or window in a somewhat open position. While other devices permit this, it is' usually only after drilling of a limited number of holes in the door or window or frame.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a lock for sliding doors and windows which solves all of the problems discussed above. The present lock mechanism may be readily mounted over the top rail of any slidable door or window, without requiring any attachment thereto. Thus, the present lock may be installed by anyone, regardless of his or her mechanical ability. Furthermore, since no attachment is made to the door or window or frame, the present lock is quickly mountable and removable and does not deface the door or window.

The present lock mechanism is attachable to the sliding door or window itself and locks such door or window in any desired position without relying on a wedging action between the door or window and the door or window frame. Thus, the present lock may be used to keep a window closed or hold it firmly in any open position.

Briefly, the present lock is usable with doors or windows which are slidably mounted in upper and lower U-shaped channels which are part of the door or window frame and comprises: a vertical wall; a horizontal flange, one side edge of the flange being connected to the upper end of the vertical wall and extending perpendicular thereto; a support platform connected to the lower end of the vertical wall and extending generally perpendicular thereto, on the opposite side thereof as the horizontal flange, the lock being positionable over the top rail of the door or window with the horizontal flange positioned between the top of the rail and the top of the upper channel, with the vertical wall positioned between the inside of the rail and one side of the upper channel, and with the support platform extending normal to the inside of the rail of the door or window; a first adjustable ,bolt member extending through the support bar, perpendicular to the horizontal flange, the first bolt member being axially movable to bring one end thereof into contact with the inside of the door or window frame to urge the door or window downwardly against the lower channel; and a second adjustable bolt member extending through the support bar, perpendicular to the vertical wall, the second bolt member being axially movable to bring one end thereof into contact with the inside of the rail of the door or window to urge the door or window against the other side of the upper channel.

OBJECTS It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lock for sliding doors and windows.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lock for sliding doors and windows which may be easily and quickly mounted.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a lock for sliding doors and windows which does not deface the door or window.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a lock for sliding doors and windows which permits the door or window to be locked in any position and which prevents both the raising and the sliding of the door or window when locked.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a lock for sliding doors and windows which may be readily detached.

Still other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment constructed in accordance therewith, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts in the several FIGS. and wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the present lock in operative position relative to a conventional sliding door;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lock of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along a vertical plane through the lock and door of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, the present lock, generally designated 10, will be described in its application to locking a sliding glass door 11 of the type including an upper U-shaped channel 12 and a similar lower U-shaped channel (not shown) which are part of a door frame 13. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that lock 10 is usable with a sliding glass window and with door or window frames having slightly different constructions. For present purposes,

3 door 11 includes a top rail 14 which slides through channel 12. It should be noted that a space exists between the top 16 of rail 14 and the top of channel 12, which space permits window 11 to be elevated to remove the bottom rail (not shown) from the lower channel to permit removal from frame 13 of door 11. It is this vertical movement of door 1 1 which is prevented by lock 10.

Lock 10 includes a vertical wall 21 and an elongate, horizontal flange 22 extending perpendicular thereto, one side edge 23 of flange 22 being connected to the upper end 24 of wall 21. The length of horizontal flange 22 is not critical although the width thereof must be less than the distance between the inside 17 and the outside 18 of channel 12 to permit its insertion therebetween, as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, the width of flange 22 is slightly less than the width of top 16 of rail 14. While the width of wall 21 is not critical, the height thereof is approximately equal to one-half the height of rail 14, for reasons which will appear more fully hereinafter.

Upper end 24 of vertical wall 21 may be connected to side edge 23 at any point along the length thereof, although it is preferably connected adjacent one end of flange 22, as shown. Furthermore, for ease of manufacture, vertical wall 21 is preferably made integral with horizontal flange 22.

Lock 10 further includes a support platform, generally designated 27, connected to the lower end 25 of wall 21. More specifically, support platform 27 preferably includes a second, elongate, horizontal flange 28, one end 29 of which is connected to lower end 25 of wall 21 and which extends perpendicular thereto. For convenience in manufacture, flange 28 is preferably made integral with wall 21 and thus has the same width thereas. The length of flange 28 is not critical.

Support platform 27 further includes a third, elongate, vertical flange 31, one end 32 of which is connected to flange 28, preferably by welding, at a point intermediate end 29 and the opposite end 30 thereof, flange 31 extending to one 'side of flange 28, perpendicular thereto, and parallel to and spaced from vertical wall 21. Neither the length nor the width of flange 31 is critical.

Support platform 27 supports first and second adjustable bolt members 40 and 50, respectively, which extend through support platform 27, perpendicular to flange 22 and wall 21, respectively. More particularly, flange 28 has an internally threaded bore 41 extending perpendicularly therethrough, adjacent end 30 thereof, flange 28 further preferably having an integral collar 42 on opposite sides thereof, surrounding bore 41, for strengthening purposes. In any event, bolt member 40 includes an elongate threaded shaft 43, a pressure pad 44 connected to one end of shaft 43 and extending perpendicular thereto, and an integral gripping wing 45 connected to the other end of shaft 43 to permit the manual rotation thereof for axial movement of shaft 43 relative to flange 28.

Similarly, flange 31 has an internally threaded bore 51 extending perpendicularly therethrough, adjacent the other end 33 thereof, flange 31 preferably including an integral collar 52 on opposite sides thereof, surrounding bore 51, to strengthen same. Adjustable bolt member is identical to adjustable bolt member 40 and includes an elongate threaded shaft 53, a pressure pad 54 connected to one end of shaft 53 and extending perpendicular thereto, and an integral gripping wing 55 connected to the other end of shaft 53 to permit the manual rotation thereof for axial movement of shaft 53 relative to flange 31. It will be noted from FIGS. 2 and 3 that pressure pad 44 may be positioned coplanar with flange 22 and that pressure pad 54 may be positioned coplanar with vertical wall 21.

OPERATION It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that lock 10 is readily engagable with sliding door 11 as follows. First, adjustable bolt members 40 and 50 are retracted to bring pressure pads 44 and 54, respectively, adjacent flanges 28 and 31, respectively. In this position, and with door 11 open, lock 10 is insertable into frame 13. More specifically, flange 22 may be positioned in contact with top 15 of channel 12 and wall 21 may be positioned in contact with inside 17 of channel 12. In this position, door 11 may be closed whereby lock 10 is automatically positioned over top rail 14 of door 11 with flange 22 positioned and trapped between top 16 of rail 14 and top 15 of channel 12 and with vertical wall 21 positioned and trapped between the inside of rail 14 and side 17 of channel 12. However, it should be noted that with bolt members 40 and 50 retracted, door 11 is clearly movable and lock 10 is also slidable along channel 12 to be positioned at any desired location.

When it is desired to lock door 11, shaft 43 of bolt member 40 is rotatable and axially movable to bring pressure paid 44 into contact with the inside of frame 13 or any other horizontally positioned support surface. Continued rotation of shaft 43 in a direction to move pressure pad 44 away from flange 28 causes a downward movement of flange 28 and a corresponding downward movement of flange 22. As a result, flange 22 contacts top 16 of rail 14, urging door 11 downwardly into and against the' lower channel. Thus, lock 10 effectively prevents the lifting of door 1 1 to effect its removal from the lower channel.

Shaft 53 of bolt member 50 is rotatable and axially movable to bring pressure pad 54 into contact with the inside of rail 14 of door 11. It is to enable pressure pad 54 of bolt member 50 to contact approximately the center of the inside of rail 14 that the height of vertical wall 21 is approximately equal to one-half the height of rail 14. In any event, continued rotation of shaft 53 in a direction to move pressure pad 54 away from flange 31 causes wall 21 to contact inside 17 of channel 12 and pressure pad 54 to contact the inside of rail 14. As threaded shaft 53 moves axially, pad 54 urges rail 14 against outside 18 of channel 12, creating a frictional engagement therebetween. It has been shown that adjustable bolt member 50 may be tightened to create a sufflcient frictional force between rail 14 and side 18 of channel 12 to prevent the slidable movement of door 11. As a result, lock 10 is effective in preventing either the vertical movement or the lateral movement of window 11, completely locking same.

It can therefore be seen that in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a lock 10 for sliding doors and windows which solves all of the problems discussed hereinbefore. Lock mechanism 10 may be readily mounted over the top rail of any slidable door or window without requiring any attachment thereto. Thus, lock 10 may be installed by anyone regardless of his or her mechanical ability. Furthermore, since no attachment is made to the door or window or the door or window frame, lock 10 is quickly mountable and removable and does not deface the door or window.

Lock is attachable to the sliding door or window itself and locks the door or window in any desired position so that it may be used to keep a window or door closed or hold it firmly in any open position. Thus, lock 10 is not only more convenient to use, but it is useful in a greater variety of circumstances than locks available heretofore.

While the invention has been described with respect to a preferred physical embodiment constructed in accordance therewith, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrative embodiment, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

l claim:

1. A lock for sliding doors and windows comprising:

a wall;

a first flange, one edge of said first flange being connected to one end of said wall and extending perpendicular thereto;

a second flange, one edge of said second flange being connected to the other end of said wall and extending perpendicular thereto, on the opposite side thereof as said first flange;

a third flange being connected to said second flange, said third flange being positioned parallel to said wall and being spaced therefrom on the same side thereof as said second flange;

a first adjustable bolt member extending through said second flange, perpendicular thereto; and

a second adjustable bolt member extending through said third flange, perpendicular thereto.

2. A look according to claim 1 for use with sliding doors and windows of the type which are slidably mounted in upper and lower U-shaped channels which are part of the door and window frames, respectively, said lock being positionable over the top rails of said doors and windows with said first flange positioned between the top of said rail and the top of said upper channel, with said wall positioned between the inside of said rail and one side of said upper channel, and with said second flange extending normal to said inside of said rail.

3. A lock according to claim 2 wherein said first bolt member is axially movable to bring one end thereof into contact with the inside of said door and window frames to urge said doors and windows downwardly against said lower channel.

4. A lock according to claim 3 wherein said second bolt member is axially movable to bring one end thereof into contact with said inside of said rail of said doors and windows to urge said doors and windows against the other side of said upper channel.

5. A lock according to claim 4 wherein said second and third flanges have first and second internally threaded bores, respectively, extending therethrough for receipt of said first and second bolt members, respectively, and wherein each of said bolt members comprises:

an elongate threaded shaft;

a pressure pad connected to one end of said shaft and extending perpendicular thereto; and

gripping means connected to the other end of said shaft for manually rotating same.

6. A lock according to claim 2 wherein said second bolt member is axially movable to bring one end thereof into contact with said inside of said rail of said doors and windows to urge said doors and windows against the other side of said upper channel.

7. A lock according to claim 1 wherein said second flange has an internally threaded bore therein which extends perpendicularly therethrough and wherein said first bolt member comprises:

a first elongate threaded shaft;

a first pressure pad connected to one end of said first shaft and extending parallel to and approximately coplanar with said first flange; and

first gripping means connected to the other end of said first shaft for manually rotating same.

8. A lock according to claim 7 wherein said third flange has an internally threaded bore therein extending perpendicularly therethrough and wherein said second bolt member comprises:

a second elongate threaded shaft;

a second pressure pad connected to one end of said second shaft and extending parallel to and approximately coplanar with said wall; and

second gripping means connected to the other end of said second shaft for manually rotating same. 

1. A lock for sliding doors and windows comprising: a wall; a first flange, one edge of said first flange being connected to one end of said wall and extending perpendicular thereto; a second flange, one edge of said second flange being connected to the other end of said wall and extending perpendicular thereto, on the opposite side thereof as said first flange; a third flange being connected to said second flange, said third flange being positioned parallel to said wall and being spaced therefrom on the same side thereof as said second flange; a first adjustable bolt member extending through said second flange, perpendicular thereto; and a second adjustable bolt member extending through said third flange, perpendicular thereto.
 2. A lock according to claim 1 for use with sliding dooRs and windows of the type which are slidably mounted in upper and lower U-shaped channels which are part of the door and window frames, respectively, said lock being positionable over the top rails of said doors and windows with said first flange positioned between the top of said rail and the top of said upper channel, with said wall positioned between the inside of said rail and one side of said upper channel, and with said second flange extending normal to said inside of said rail.
 3. A lock according to claim 2 wherein said first bolt member is axially movable to bring one end thereof into contact with the inside of said door and window frames to urge said doors and windows downwardly against said lower channel.
 4. A lock according to claim 3 wherein said second bolt member is axially movable to bring one end thereof into contact with said inside of said rail of said doors and windows to urge said doors and windows against the other side of said upper channel.
 5. A lock according to claim 4 wherein said second and third flanges have first and second internally threaded bores, respectively, extending therethrough for receipt of said first and second bolt members, respectively, and wherein each of said bolt members comprises: an elongate threaded shaft; a pressure pad connected to one end of said shaft and extending perpendicular thereto; and gripping means connected to the other end of said shaft for manually rotating same.
 6. A lock according to claim 2 wherein said second bolt member is axially movable to bring one end thereof into contact with said inside of said rail of said doors and windows to urge said doors and windows against the other side of said upper channel.
 7. A lock according to claim 1 wherein said second flange has an internally threaded bore therein which extends perpendicularly therethrough and wherein said first bolt member comprises: a first elongate threaded shaft; a first pressure pad connected to one end of said first shaft and extending parallel to and approximately coplanar with said first flange; and first gripping means connected to the other end of said first shaft for manually rotating same.
 8. A lock according to claim 7 wherein said third flange has an internally threaded bore therein extending perpendicularly therethrough and wherein said second bolt member comprises: a second elongate threaded shaft; a second pressure pad connected to one end of said second shaft and extending parallel to and approximately coplanar with said wall; and second gripping means connected to the other end of said second shaft for manually rotating same. 